


Put Me to Work

by Kivea



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Falling In Love, Family Issues, Getting Together, Heckin Moron Kenny McCormick, High School, Kissing Games, M/M, Matchmaking, Multi, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn, Teenage Drama, Trans Character, Trans Leopold "Butters" Stotch, boys being dumb, endgame twenny, i guess??, it's Marjorine, just gonna put that out there to start with
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: When Kenny McCormick offered to help score Tweek Tweak a date with hisdream guyto their junior prom, it was with the intention of doing it for his friend. Because he was just that nice of a guy, such a solid, good friend who could be relied on. Getting Tweek a date? Easy as pie. He was practically made for this job.Until he realised he wanted to be the dream guy, instead.
Relationships: Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak (onesided), Heidi Turner/Clyde Donovan, Kenny McCormick/Tweek Tweak, Kyle Broflovski & Kenny McCormick, Marjorine/Stan Marsh, Stan Marsh/Leopold "Butters" Stotch
Comments: 19
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank u Amber for betaing all Tweek-centric fics I ever write, and thank u to Em for naming things bc I am hopeless

“So, Craig Tucker, huh?” 

He probably could’ve phrased it better to avoid the daggers that were shot across the counter from the hazel eyes. He couldn’t help it though. It was kind of adorable. Which is also something he should’ve really kept to himself. 

Instead he said: “Hey, no judgement. It’s kinda cute.” 

“Why are you bringing this up?!” Tweek snapped out in a hush. 

“I promised I’d help you! I keep my promises.” 

“I don’t want your help!” 

The conversation was cut short by someone entering the quaint little coffee shop in the quaint little mountain town. Tweek tore himself away to serve the customer with a strained smile as Kenny loitered against the end of the counter like the _youth_ he was. He gave a polite smile and nod to the woman who was being served. She turned away. 

Context would probably help. 

Today was Saturday, which made yesterday Friday, which made it party day. Kenny tried his best to usually steer clear of too much alcohol – there were only so many drunk people that could be in their house, especially if someone had to be sober enough to look after Karen or go to work the next day. Tweek usually did as well as far as he knew, but that night he found the blonde taking shot after shot with a furrowed brow and a slight glisten in his eyes. 

So Kenny took Tweek to one side and asked what was wrong, like the good friend he was. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard anyone talk so fast in his life. 

It turned out the woes of Teenage Infatuation had made their rounds to Tweek Tweak, the neurotic workaholic who always seemed to shy away from romance. The few passes people had made to him he’d swiftly turned down. But from the sounds of things it was due to a long, ongoing, one-sided crush. 

A crush on Craig Tucker, Tweek’s sort of best friend. 

From what Kenny managed to decipher through the drunken crying was that Tweek had liked Craig for a while. He’d hoped it would just fizzle out and go away, but it _wasn’t_ , and now _junior_ _prom_ was coming up and couples were _everywhere_ and his feelings were becoming too much to handle because all he wanted was to go to prom with Craig, who had never showed an interest in prom _or_ Tweek and would probably just think Tweek wanted to go as friends which would be the _worst._

So, continuing with the good friend theme, he offered his assistance to help Tweek capture the icy cold heart of one Craig Tucker. 

Drunk-Tweek had been overflowing with gratitude. Sober-Tweek looked ready to hit him over the head with the coffee machine and hide his body out back. 

“Thank you for your offer, but get out my shop,” Tweek hissed as he finished with the woman, lowering his voice now there were actual customers in the store. “I don’t want help.” 

“So you don’t want to go to prom with Craig?” 

“Would you-?!” Tweek flailed his arms in frustration. “Don’t _say it out loud_!” 

“Oh, come on, who’s listening?” 

“I don’t know! That’s the problem! No one knows!” 

Kenny rolled his eyes. “Fine, do you not want my help getting a date for prom?” 

“Not really!” 

“Yesterday-!” 

“Yesterday I was drunk and upset! Today I’m hung-over and full of regret, so can we just…drop it?” 

He pursed his lips, leaning in across the counter. “Okay; if you can tell me, straight faced, looking me in the eyes, that you don’t want my help, then I’ll drop it-!” 

“-I don’t wan-!” 

“But!” he pressed a finger to Tweek’s over-eager lips. “Keep in mind who it was that scored Marjorine a date with none other than star quarterback, Stan Marsh, yeah?” 

Tweek hesitated. 

“Or Heidi and Clyde?” 

“I thought that was Cartman?” 

“He had help. A lot of help. From me.” 

Tweek practically pouted. 

“Come on then, tell me you don’t want my help.” 

“I-!” hazel eyes looked up. They flickered down. “I need to think about it.” 

“Yes!” 

“That’s not a yes! It’s a maybe!” 

“That’s better than a no!” Kenny pointed out. “You won’t regret it, I promise.” 

“What do _you_ get out of it?” 

It was a good question. He hadn’t really considered any kind of reward other than the satisfaction of seeing a happy couple. When he’d helped Marjorine it was because she’d asked, and when he helped Cartman with his dumb little set ups it was because Cartman had expected it to make the girl miserable, and Kenny knew it would only make Cartman miserable. Which was entertaining, even if they were childhood besties. 

“One hot chocolate, to go.” 

“You want a hot chocolate?” 

“Yeah! As a reward!” 

“How many hot chocolates?” 

“How many are you willing to give me?” 

Tweek raised a brow. “One a week. On the house.” 

“Every Saturday evening?” 

“Uh, sure. Saturdays. Whatever. Now would you get gone?! It’s nearly ten o’clock, people are gonna start coming in soon and I have a headache!” 

“Self inflicted,” Kenny said with a shrug. “I’ll be back for my payment later.” 

There was no doubt in Kenny’s mind that Tweek would accept his deal. He powered through his shift at work with an air of confidence, as if he just won a bet. 

No one could argue that it was nothing short of a miracle that he got Heidi and Clyde together. He liked sports, and she liked studying. He was a closeted cry-baby, and she had a mean streak hidden beneath her caring nature. When Cartman had suggested it Kenny knew it was because he’d wanted to get back at Heidi, even if the bigger teen swore it was to see her finally ‘move on’. 

But Heidi was a vegan in a small town with cattle farms surrounding it. Her diet of choice was…as controversial as a diet could be, he supposed. And there was _no one_ in town that loved food as much as Clyde. At least, that loved food and was willing to eat new things. 

He was also best friends with Craig, who had a mean streak that would put Heidi’s to shame, so he clearly had some kind of backbone. Or maybe he just liked to be stepped on. Either worked. 

Marjorine and Stan were a little more understandable. It was no secret the sweet girl had a crush on the star quarterback, as much as she tried to keep it to herself. It had happened some time after she’d begun her transition into the woman she was meant to be, and it was honestly one of the cutest things Kenny had ever seen. 

Stan was oblivious, and a _fool_ , and a sucker for getting his ego stroked. He liked puppies and compliments and his best friends. And as one of Stan’s best friends, and one of Marjorine’s best friends, it had been easy to trick them into going on a date together. 

It still made him smile, the sweet way they’d look at each other at the very beginning. Like neither quite knew what they were doing. 

When Kenny went back in later that day to pick up his hot chocolate, Tweek wasn’t there. His mother was instead, a kind smile on her face as she passed him his drink and said Tweek had told her Kenny got a free cocoa for helping him with homework. 

He just had to wait till school. Tweek would come to him. He knew it. 

\--

He didn’t wait very long. 

Upon entering the building Kenny saw the twitchy blonde by Kenny's locker, looking even more high-strung than usual. Kenny tried his best not to look too smug as he approached, not bothering to open his locker and instead just rested against it as he waited for Tweek to speak. 

“Jesus, I hate you,” Tweek growled through gritted teeth as he glared up at Kenny. “I hate you so much.” 

“What? ‘The fuck did I do?” 

“You come parading in here looking all smug!” 

A grin split across Kenny’s face. “I kinda assumed the hot chocolate from your mom was a yes.” 

“This is crazy,” Tweek muttered. “This whole thing is crazy. I’m crazy, for even entertaining you with this. This is – it’s crazy.” 

“You said.” 

“But…” Tweek glanced away from him with downturned lips. “I guess it is…I’m not handling it very well.” 

“I’d say you were doing a good job.” 

“No, I’m not. I thought it would just go away, and it hasn’t. So if you think you can…help, then…?” 

Kenny held his breath as he waited for the words. 

“Then I’d be crazy to say no.” 

“You won’t regret it,” Kenny promised as he clapped Tweek on the shoulder. Sure, he'd expected Tweek to agree, but he felt a rush of pure pride at the words actually acknowledging it. 

“Where do we – what’s the start?” 

“The start is you let me make a game plan,” Kenny explained as he opened the locker. “It’s not that you need loads of help speaking to Craig, you’re like, best friends, you talk a lot. You lack the confidence to flirt.” 

There was an annoyed grumble, but Tweek didn’t argue with him. 

“That can be taught. We gotta find a way to get you on his radar. For that?” he shut his locker and turned back to Tweek. “Give me two days.” 

Hazel eyes were narrowed as the boy’s nostrils flared. “What are you going to do?” 

“You gotta trust me if this is going to work.” 

“Ugh,” Tweek’s nose scrunched up. “Fine! But don’t do anything…weird, okay?” 

“I won’t. I promise.” 

“Gotta trust you,” Tweek muttered. “Fucking - how the hell am I meant to trust you, when you’re always looking so suspicious?” 

“I’m not suspicious!” 

“You’re the most suspicious,” Tweek argued. “You’re like, always so present and quiet and paying attention to things, who even needs to pay that much attention to things? Suspicious. Totally suspicious.” 

Any defence he could’ve had ready was cut short by the sound of the bell ringing around them, warning them they only had five minutes to get to class. Tweek turned narrowed hazel eyes up to him, lips pulled into a thin line as he took a step closer, voice low as he spoke. 

“Two days?” 

“Yup. Two days. I’ll message you.” 

“Do you even have my number?” 

“Uh, probably? Have you changed it recently?” 

“I always change it every time I get a new phone. It’s better that way.” 

“Oh,” Kenny shrugged. “Well, do you have _my_ number? Because mine’s still the same.” 

"I think so.” 

“You text me then,” Kenny suggested. “And then I’ll be able to message you.” 

“Fine, fine. Let’s just get to class.” 

He waved the grumpy blonde stalk his way through the halls, feeling that same smug smile spread across his face as he did so. There was something satisfying about knowing that he’d be able to set up another two of his friends, and about knowing that his help was sought after. 

Made him feel useful. 

He did need to make a game plan, though, and he spent his time up until his study period making one. 

When he worked on getting Heidi and Clyde together, he spent a lot of time chatting with Red. She was happy to help him out for a nominal fee of ten bucks, planting whatever thoughts in Heidi’s head that he needed and feeding him information on her responses to the brunette boy. 

He would have Tweek there in his pocket, so he needed someone to be able to provide him with a direct line to Craig, who wasn’t part of his gang, because the last thing he needed was Tweek to catch wind of his man on the inside. He couldn't imagine the earful he'd get about telling his secret to someone. It made the selection process easier, at least, as Token, Clyde, and Jimmy were all out the picture. 

Bebe played games with him, but was far too gossipy to trust. Wendy was in his study group, but she was more Tweek’s friend than Craig’s from what Kenny gathered. 

There was another person who was in the same study group as Wendy and Craig, who Kenny was pretty confident he could trust. 

“Hey,” he greeted as he clattered down opposite one redheaded boy in the library, nose buried in a book and sharp eyes full of suspicion as they looked up at him. “How’s…history?” 

“What do you want?” 

He gave a mocking gasp. “Can’t I just ask about your interests without being suspicious?” 

“No, you can’t,” the book clattered onto the table and a wry smile crossed his face. “Out with it, dude. What is it?" 

Kyle Broflovski would be his ticket to success. 

Kenny sucked in a breath as he prepared himself for some resistance. “So, do you remember when I set up Stan and Marjorine?” 

“I guess?” Kyle furrowed his brow. 

“And Heidi and Clyde, right?” 

Kyle scoffed. “How could I forget, with how much Cartman fucking whined to me about it.” 

“Well, I have a new request, and I was hoping that you might be able to help me.” 

Kyle did _not_ look okay with that idea, and he didn't even know what he was being asked to do yet. “Who is it?” 

“Craig and Tweek,” Kenny explained. “It’s – I need you to help me with Craig.” 

“You want me to…what?” 

Kenny shrugged it off. “Y’know, just a little helping hand. It’ll be fun.” 

“Sounds like a bad idea to me.” 

“C’mon, Kyle, I need your help with it!” 

“Why do you need my help?” 

“Because Craig respects you, you guys study together. You can be, like, my inside person.” 

Kyle turned away with a twist in his face. “I wouldn’t go that far. What would you even want me to do?” 

“Talk to him, see if you can get any insight on if he likes anyone, if he has plans for prom, that kind of thing.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

“You’re friends!” 

“Yeah, but not the kind of friends who do girl-talk and gossip,” Kyle scoffed. “Last time we talked about things remotely personal was when I went on an hour long rant about Ike popping my basketball and then trying to hide it in the attic.” 

“I believe in you. You’re the best person for this job.” 

“How am-?” 

“The best option that I have, between you and Wendy.” 

Kyle scoffed. “Wendy would probably be a better option, honestly.” 

Kenny waited with bated breath. 

“But I’ll...try. Don’t expect anything, though. Jesus, I’d have to get him away from the rest of the group, first.” 

“Thanks, dude! I knew I could trust you.” 

“Is that all you needed?” Kyle asked, voice disapproving despite the small smile on his face. “Can I go back to my work now? My teacher’s around somewhere, supervising our library time.” 

“Yeah, I know, he’s off chatting with the librarian, so I’d say you’re safe,” Kenny assured as he pushed his seat out and stood up. “But I know when I’m not wanted.” 

“You can stay, just let me get on with my work. Don’t you have your own to do?” 

“Work? Don’t know her.” 

“You’re a nightmare, sometimes.” 

While he was waiting for Kyle to bring him information, he had his own work to be doing. If he was going to figure out how far Tweek had to go as far as wooing his friend went, he needed to get a better handle on what their relationship looked like now. 

He was going to stalk them. It – there was no ‘nice’ way of putting it, he was just going to spy on them. 

\--

Over the next two days, he kept a close eye on the friendship of Tweek and Craig. Every class he had with them he spent subtly watching them interact while he pretended to do his work, and classes he shared with just Craig he watched how the boy interacted with people who weren’t Tweek. Because to figure out how Craig felt, he needed to see if there was a difference. 

Tucker wasn’t easy to read, which really didn’t surprise him. If there was one thing he did notice, it was that there was the fraction of a difference to how Craig treat Tweek. What it meant? He wasn’t entirely sure yet. 

Craig always seemed visibly annoyed by Clyde, in a very affectionate way, especially when Clyde and Tweek were interacting. The pair of them spiralled off on tangents with all the energy in the world between them, while Craig watched on. Kenny had to admit, it was tiring just watching them from a distance, never mind close up. 

One thing he did notice was that Craig and Tweek seemed to gravitate together. He wasn’t sure if it was Craig responding to how Tweek would seek him out, but they were a little closer to each other than the others in their little group. A little like a protective shroud to either stop Tweek getting upset, or to stop him doing something he’d regret. 

Kenny had always expected Token to be the _mom friend_ of their group, but it seemed often that it was Craig trying to corral a bunch of kids together than Token, who watched on and laughed. 

He texted Tweek near the end of the day, requesting that they meet up. The response was pretty quick, and he could imagine the reluctant face that Tweek must’ve pulled when he agreed. 

They decided to meet out back of the school. By the time Kenny arrived, Tweek was already there, foot bouncing and hands twisting the strap of his messenger bag as he waited. Kenny barely got within a few feet of him before Tweek launched into a speech. 

“I spent all day feeling like someone was just around the corner and the only person who was there _all day_ was you, and then Clyde said it was probably all in my head but then you asked to meet up and it just seems a little suspicious that-?” 

“It was me, yeah.” 

Tweek threw his hands in the air. “What the fuck?!” 

“I needed to get a feel for you and Craig.” 

“Shh!” he hissed, rushing towards Kenny as he pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t talk so loud!” 

“Dude, you’re talking louder than me.” 

Tweek looked ready to pull his hair out. 

“It doesn’t matter, we’re here to talk about our plan.” 

“Ugh, fine,” Tweek shuffled his weight from foot to foot as he folded his arms across his chest. “What’s your grand master plan then?” 

“So glad you asked. As you know, I’ve been watching you two closely today-?” 

“I can’t _believe_ you stalked me.” 

“-And I wanted to just check a few things with you, to figure out where _you_ think you stand.” 

Tweek furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, for starters, who’s Craig closest to in your little group?” 

“Clyde.” 

He had no hesitation on his face as he answered. 

“It’s Clyde.” 

“Alright,” Kenny nodded and moved on. “And what about you, when you’re upset, who comes to you first?” 

He shrugged. “Whoever’s closest, I guess. I dunno, I feel like they take it in turns. I get anxious easily. I’m a lot to handle.” 

“Dude, you’re so blind.” 

Tweek gave a bark of protest. 

“What I saw,” Kenny started. “Was that Craig is nearly always the one who calms you down.” 

Tweek snapped his mouth shut. 

“I don’t know if it’s just that he’s better at it than everyone else because, well,” Kenny gave a sly grin. “You might respond to him better.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“But I also think he’s closer to you than Clyde.” 

“They hang out all the time!” Tweek argued. “Whenever they bother me at work, they’re together.” 

“Yeah, exactly, at work. He’d probably hang out with you more outside of school if you weren’t working so much.” 

Tweek grumbled. 

“I’ve got a couple of ideas on how to work on that confidence you clearly lack. Then we can figure out what exactly _flirting_ will look like from Tweek Tweak.” 

“I can flirt _fine._ ” 

Kenny snorted. “Yeah _right._ You’re pretty standoffish sometimes, and I think if I told you to go flirt with Craig you’d - yeah, see that face? That’s the face we’ve got to work on.” 

Tweek’s nose was scrunched up, lips pulled down as his cheeks began to darken with colour. 

“How are you meant to reach the point where he looks at you and thinks, ‘that’s my date for prom’, when you can’t even stomach the thought of flirting with him?” 

“I’m having second thoughts.” 

“Yeah, that’s like, classic you though, isn’t it?” 

“Ugh, you’re an asshole.” 

Kenny only grinned in response. “When are you free, next?” 

“For what?” 

“I’m gonna give you a makeover.” 

Tweek gave a long, drawn out groan. “Can I change my mind?” 

“No, you already agreed, you have to see this through.” 

“Fine, I – I’ll try get an afternoon off work. Don’t bank on it, though.” 

Kenny grinned. “Perfect, sounds like a good starting point. We’re making progress already!” 

“Whatever. I have work to get to,” Tweek announced. “Don’t do anything stupid.” 

“I would never.” 

Despite Tweek's attitude, Kenny left the conversation feeling like it had been a resounding success. 

\--

Kyle texted him requesting to meet up, with nothing more than a few words cussing Kenny’s stupid plan. He found Kyle at the park, shooting hoops on his own while he waited for Kenny. The blonde arrived with what he hoped was a charming smile that would lessen some of Kyle’s fury with him. 

The ball went wide, and he scrambled to grab it before it went into the sandpit. When he looked up, Kyle was glaring at him. He passed the ball back. 

He decided not to try any pleasantries. Kyle really didn’t look like he was in the mood. 

“How did it go?” 

“Awful?” Kyle spat with a glare. “I can’t believe you convinced me to help you with this.” 

“Did you get any juicy info?” 

“He’s not interested in anyone.” 

Kenny tilted his head. “What, at all?” 

“Unless he was lying, which is a possibility,” Kyle pointed out as he bounced the ball against the floor three times before taking a shot. He nailed it. “You _way_ overestimate how much trust he puts in me.” 

“My options were limited,” he admitted as he grasped hold of the ball and began dribbling. 

“You mentioned. Why not ask Clyde? You two get on.” 

“Because I don’t want Craig finding out. I’m doing this for Tweek, it’ll ruin it if Craig figures it out, and Clyde is kind of a blabbermouth.” 

Kyle scoffed. “That’s true. So, Tweek asked you to help him?” 

“More or less.” 

The redhead at least had the grace to let him take – and fail – his shot before grilling him further. “More or less? Did you coerce Tweek into letting you play matchmaker?” 

“I didn’t coerce anyone into anything, Tweek was practically begging for help.” 

“Why, was he drunk?” 

It was said as a joke, but Kenny’s complete silence as Kyle shot the ball through the net kind of gave him away. 

“Oh my god,” Kyle turned to him with furrowed brows. “Dude, you _totally_ coerced him into it.” 

“You don’t get it Kyle, because you don’t have human emotions, but-?” 

Kyle gave an annoyed groan. 

“-Tweek was hopeless, I couldn’t just abandon him. I’m a good friend, I help people when they need help, even if they would rather pretend their problems don’t exist.” 

Kyle huffed out as he swiped the ball from Kenny, holding it in his hands. “Why do you have to drag me into it?” 

“I told you, my options were limited.” 

“Fine. Well, I found out your info for you. No interests, no crushes, no dates.” 

“That makes things a little easier in some ways, I guess,” Kenny mused. “Part of me was hoping you’d come back with Tweek being the answer, but I guess that would make things boring.” 

“You’re welcome, by the way.” 

“Thanks, but I’m not done with you yet.” 

Kyle looked horrified. 

“Now that you’ve planted the seed that it’s something he can talk to you about, you gotta let me know if he mentions anything.” 

“Me making casual enquiries about his love life isn’t putting seeds anywhere!” Kyle argued. “If anything it probably put him off, considering how _not casual_ they were.” 

“That sounds like a failing on your part.” 

“You think I’m used to doing this kind of shit, I didn’t know how to ask!” 

Kenny bit back his smile as he asked his next question. “How _did_ you ask?” 

Kyle’s jaw snapped shut fast enough that it clacked. 

“C’mon, Kyle, buddy. What did you say?” 

“I...” Kyle shrugged his shoulders. “I just said about how, Wendy wasn’t there cause she was with the student council discussing prom, and was he planning on asking anyone?” 

“That’s not as bad as I was picturing, actually.” 

Kyle glared as he tossed the ball into Kenny’s chest. Hard. 

“Ow!” 

“Take your fucking shot.” 

He did as he was told before he started their next conversation. “So, do you have plans to ask anyone to the dance?” 

“No, and I don’t need your help. I’ll let Tweek suffer through that on his own.” 

“Oh, come on! I’m not that bad! And I wasn’t planning on offering.” 

“I don’t want to risk it.” 

“You’re such a grumpy fuck.” 

His next half hour was spent on the court with Kyle, their conversation leaving the topic of _Tweek_ _and Craig_ and _dates to the dance_ and instead turned to annoying things their siblings had done, or extra work that Kyle had been given from his teachers who expected far too much from him, or how Kenny had been asked to cover extra shifts at City Wok _again,_ and he was sick of coming home smelling of Chinese food. 

They continued even when Kenny had decided he’d excised enough, lying down on the ground in the middle of the court claiming to be an extra obstacle to make it harder for the redhead to score, to which Kyle rolled his eyes. They continued until the sun began to set. 

Hanging out with Kyle wasn’t unusual now that Stan lived so far out of town, especially as usually his visits into town involved spending some time with Marjorine. Not to mention Cartman’s growing list of extracurricular activities that kept him out of trouble left Kenny with few people to spend time with. 

On his way home his phone buzzed with a message, opening it to see one from the very blonde that had been taking up what little free time he had left. He smiled as he opened it and read the contents, confirming a date for his dreaded make-over. 

_Tomorrow after school. Text when you arrive don’t knock._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep writing but the end isn't here so I'm just going to post it in parts.
> 
> This part is also _counts fingers_ maybe like three years old?? so sorry if the rest of the fic is WILDLY out of place to this one but I don't think my style has changed that much.


	2. Chapter 2

Standing on the doorstep to the Tweak household wasn’t a position he was used to finding himself in. He pulled out his phone to fire a text to Tweek, as he’d requested, before he waited on the doorstep for the blonde to arrive. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to question the request; maybe Tweek just liked to know who he was answering the door to. 

He gave a lopsided smile and raised his brows as the door finally swung open, seeing Tweek standing on the other side. “Hey, dude. Hope I’m not too early?” 

“No, you’re - you’re right on time, aren’t you?” Tweek scrambled for his phone as if to check. “I swore it was-?” 

“I am, yeah. I’m just...making chitchat.” 

“You don’t have to,” Tweek assured as he took a few steps back to let Kenny in. 

He took the invitation, looking round at the house he rarely stepped in. He couldn’t remember the last time that he’d actually been _inside_ the Tweek household. The house was similar to the rest in layout, though he couldn’t help but feel like there were fewer family photos littering the living room than some other places. A cabinet of incredibly sparse china, filled more with models of various vehicles than anything useful. 

Tweek was already half way up the stairs when Kenny looked over, and he darted over after him. 

Tweek’s room was the first they came to, and Kenny was hit with a stark contrast between the clean, almost _bareness_ of the rest of the house to the utter _chaos_ of Tweek’s room. 

The models continued here, but some were half made, or piled in a corner looking a little broken. There were three empty cups on his desk and one full, his schoolbag lying on the floor with books spilling out of it. Tweek muttered a low apology as he gestured round at the mess, a tinge of shame on his face. 

“It’s no worse than mine,” Kenny assured, though he left out the scattering of things were more to do with a lack of storage than intentional. He flopped down on the bed with a lopsided smile. “You still into models, then?” 

“Yeah, I guess? I like to keep occupied, and – I mean, mom insists that the PlayStation is downstairs to make sure that I don’t stay on it all night so instead I just assemble models all night instead.” 

Kenny barked out with laughter. “Yeah, that’s fair. Where are your parents?” 

“Work. Thank fuck,” Tweek muttered with a scowl. “I wouldn’t have let you come round if they weren’t.” 

“Oh, come on, they can’t be that bad.” 

“They _are_ , and you are, too. I don’t want to see you meet them while I’m present.” 

“What’s that meant to mean?” 

“It means you’re insufferable, just like my dad. And I’ve _heard_ you talk with Clyde about Stan’s mom.” 

“Yeah, but that’s Stan’s mom. Not yours.” 

“No, but I’ve heard Clyde talk about my mom, and I don’t need you to start,” Tweek snapped. “Can we just focus on what you’re here for?” 

“All for you,” Kenny promised with a grin, amusement only rising at Tweek’s huff. “Before I start rifling through all your shit though, I figured I’d make sure you’re happy for me to.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“So, when I did this with Marjorine, I looked through her wardrobe and took out what outfits I wanted her to try on. To try and like, pin a style on her,” he shrugged. “You’re kind of similar in that you always look like you’re kind of lost in your clothes, rather than putting together outfits.” 

“Who has time to _plan outfits_?” 

“That’s what you’ve got me for, so you don’t have to. I’ll tell you what goes with what, you don’t need to think about it.” 

Tweek glanced to his wardrobe briefly, before turning back to Kenny. After a moment, he gave one solid nod. 

Kenny stood and headed for the wardrobe, opening it gently so not to knock the door off its hinges; he'd done that one too many times to his own. He took a step back to survey the contents and found himself entirely unsurprised by what he saw. 

“Why are so many of your clothes on the bottom?” 

“Who has _time_?!” 

Kenny squatted down to the mess of t-shirts and hooded sweaters. “So, I take it these are the ones you wear the most?” 

“Pretty much...” 

“Well, we can start here then,” Kenny glanced behind him and gestured to the expanse of the floor. “Make more room. I’m gonna start.”

He picked out a few things that he could imagine Tweek being comfortable in. After all, the last thing he needed was to put Tweek in such a tizzy that he couldn’t function, he needed to have confidence. That was what Kenny was here for. 

He spread a variety of t-shirts out on the floor, stacking the jeans up and trying to figure out just from looking which were the nicest. Once he’d done that he moved to the things that were actually put away, murmuring as he worked. 

A light blue fleecy material caught his eye, and he stopped. It wasn’t like the other things that were in Tweek’s wardrobe. For one, it looked a bit familiar, but not from Tweek. And out of all the earthy, warm, dark tones that he’d dragged out the closet so far, this was an anomaly. 

Kenny pulled the hoody out the wardrobe and raised it up to Tweek. “Is this...?” 

“Craig’s,” Tweek confirmed as a soft smile began to overtake his face. “He gave it to me when we were like, thirteen, but he had his growth spurt so early that it still fits me. He always used to scold me for not dressing for the weather.” 

“I don’t think I ever remember you wearing it,” Kenny muttered. Not that he paid enough attention to Tweek before this. 

“I don’t wear it often. I think – I mean, isn’t it kind of weird, that I still have it?” Tweek gave a nervous laugh. “Like, in a creepy way?” 

Kenny observed the hoody, the light blue colouring of it as he tried to think of whether it would suit Tweek. He decided there was only one way to tell as he tossed it over to the blonde with the instruction to put it on as he dived back into what was left in the wardrobe. 

When he turned back round, the hoody was round Tweek’s shoulders, and his hands were buried in its pockets. Kenny stood up to appraise the way it looked on him. 

“Maybe not on its own, but...I think we can work with this,” Kenny muttered. “The colour suits you better than I thought it would, actually.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, brings out your eyes a bit more, but you gotta have something darker to go with it so you don’t look washed out.” 

“Okay?” 

“We should go to the mall,” Kenny decided. “Get a couple of extra items just to make a couple of good outfits for you, we’re kind of limited with what we have here.” 

Tweek gave a low, disapproving hum. 

“It’ll be fun, trust me. And you get final say on whatever we get.” 

“You want me to include this in whatever _outfit_ you plan on getting together for me?” 

“Yeah! It’s Craig’s old hoodie, that kind of shit is perfect for what we’re going for. People wearing their partner’s clothes makes them all warm and happy and shit.” 

“He’s not my partner, though.” 

“No, but that’s what we’re aiming for, so it’s time to start dropping hints,” Kenny pointed at the clothing wrapped round Tweek’s shoulders. “And that? That’s the perfect first hint.” 

“Alright...” Tweek nodded as he started to strip the hoodie off. “We can go.” 

“You have to take it with us.” 

“What?! Why?” 

“Because we’re finding clothes to match,” Kenny explained, scouting round on the floor. “There’s a t-shirt somewhere here that’ll go nice, with that geometric pattern and – here, this one, and then these jeans. Put it all on now, and we’ll get like, a nice coat or jacket or something to make it pop.” 

“A _coat_?” 

“You live in the Colorado mountains and you don’t even have a coat.” 

“I have one, I just hate it,” Tweek defended. “It’s stuffy.” 

Kenny rolled his eyes as he handed the clothes over and decided not to humour Tweek with that train of thought. “Shall I meet you downstairs?” 

“Fine.” 

He left the room with little fanfare, descending the stairs and turning his attention to the living room as he waited. The arch that lead to the kitchen beckoned his interest, and he headed over to peer in, wondering if it had the same almost unlived quality that the front room did. 

He was surprised to find that the kitchen was probably the best equipped room of the house. There was an incredibly fancy looking coffee maker, which wasn’t surprising, but then a variety of kitchen supplies that took up half the counter top space. Some of them he didn’t even recognise, bowls attached to large machines, a series of what looked like grills that clearly weren’t grills. 

The decoration was still unpersonable, a couple of scenic photos and some generic flowery bullshit hanging on the walls, but the rest? 

“I’m done.” 

Kenny spun round to see Tweek in the archway and gave a low whistle. Sure, he still looked about what he usually did, but at least he was somewhat co-ordinated now. The hoodie was a zip-up, exposing the graphic tee below. 

“Tuck your t-shirt in.” 

“Why?!” 

“Because those jeans are a nice fit, and you’re hiding them underneath your shirt,” Kenny advised. “Also, it’s just a kind of style, and it’ll suit you, alright? Make you look less like you’re drowning. Why are all your clothes too big?” 

Tweek shrugged. “Mom usually takes me shopping.” 

“What, and she doesn’t know your size?” 

“Pretty much.” 

Kenny thought about pressing that train of thought, but...Tweek didn’t look exactly comfortable with it. Maybe it was something that he needed to talk about on a different day, when they weren’t on a timer for when the mall would close. 

“Alright, let’s get going then.” 

Tweek locked the door behind them before they made their way to the bus stop, talking in low tones between themselves as they figured out when the next one was due. They didn’t have to wait too long; frequent buses for this time of day, and it was more sitting on the bus that caused the problem. 

They had the back row to themselves, a few older passengers dotted around further at the front. Kenny found himself sitting watching Tweek out the corner of his eye, who had requested to sit next to the window, and was now staring straight out of it and completely ignoring Kenny. 

“So, what do you actually like about Craig?”

The question in itself was enough to get Tweek’s attention; he flushed and spun round to glare at Kenny with his nose scrunched up, demanding: “Why?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Didn’t I tell you at the party?”

“Uh, I think you tried? You were pretty wasted, dude.”

Tweek grumbled low. “I dunno, man, how do you even put into words emotions like this.”

“Just tell me...some of his redeeming factors,” Kenny suggested. 

“This will help you make your dumbass little plan?”

“Yes,” he lied. 

“Well, alright...” Tweek muttered. He sunk a little lower in his seat as he tried to formulate a response. “I guess I like how he can be really smart, and he’s quite thoughtful, I think-?” 

Kenny didn’t know what face he pulled, but it put Tweek on the defensive. 

“He is! At least, he remembers things about his friends, important things that some other people might forget. He knows all our mobile numbers off by heart, and he knows things like our birthdays, and what Clyde’s favourite foods are, and that Token’s allergic to dogs, and the exact pitch you have to whistle for Jimmy’s keys to ring – because he has this tag on them, so that he doesn’t lose them.” 

“Token’s allergic to dogs?” 

“Exactly!” Tweek’s eyes shone a little as his tone picked up. “And he knows everyone’s coffee order, and he knows what our Freeman’s Taco orders will be. And he knows what the colours mean on my lists, so that he can help me keep track of my thoughts.” 

Kenny had to admit, that was a little thoughtful. 

“And as much as he _says_ he hates his sister, one time he got Token to drive us over to pick her up from school because she doesn’t get on with one of the girls in her class on Thursdays, and he wanted to beat the other kid up.” 

“Did he?” 

“No!” Tweek looked horrified. “I stopped him! Jesus, dude, she was like, ten.” 

“’Fraid he’d lose, huh?” 

Tweek glared at him, but there was a smile breaking out on his face. “You’re a dick. But...he also doesn’t take much energy.” 

“How do you mean?” 

“Well, Clyde and Jimmy are both extroverts, yeah?” Tweek shrugged. “They take up a lot of my energy, when I see them. I’ve gotta like, mentally prepare myself for them. But with Craig...it’s easier? He doesn’t take so much preparation. He’s easy to speak to.” 

Kenny felt a smile crack on his face at that, turning back to the front. “I get that. People can be really draining.” 

“You’re not a people person?” 

“I mean, I like people, but I don’t like...one on one so much I guess?” Kenny grimaced. “Like, I’m not great at small talk.” 

“I think you’re pretty good at it.” 

“Thanks, dude. I tend to bounce off other people a lot. Kyle’s easy, because he likes to just talk _at_ me. I don’t have to worry about coming up with shit to say, and he doesn’t expect anything back.” 

“You do hang out with him a lot.” 

“I do,” Kenny glanced down at Tweek. “I guess that takes the pressure off awkward bus conversations though, huh?” 

Tweek nodded, smile spreading across his face. When he turned back to the window, Kenny felt a little less ignored. 

Once they were in the shopping mall, conversation wasn’t important. He dragged Tweek around after him, eyes lighting up every time he saw a store he liked, or a style he thought might suit Tweek. He was dragged out a couple of them for being too _pricey_ , and Tweek was sure to be clear on exactly how much spare cash he had to spend. Kenny thought it was more than he was expecting. 

“What about...these shoes?” 

Tweek scowled as Kenny pulled out a pair of canvas shoes that were white and black. “What’s wrong with my shoes?” 

“They’re fine, but they’re not new, and these will go nice with that t-shirt.” 

“I’m not buying a pair of shoes for _one_ t-shirt.” 

“No, you’re buying them because you have a lot of dark clothes, so they’ll go with a lot of things you wear. They just so happen to also go really nice with that specific shirt.” 

Tweek huffed, but Kenny counted it a victory that he took them. 

“We need to find you that coat. I’m thinking maybe a grey, but I don’t know if it’ll wash you out.” 

“This is so tiring,” Tweek whined as Kenny continued to drag him round. “I didn’t realise how tiring this was going to be.” 

“Surprise! At least we only have to do this once, in theory – oh! This belt, you’ve got those acid wash blue jeans, and that army-green button up at home? This, it’ll go well with them. 

“We’re not even shopping for that outfit.” 

“It’s an added bonus,” Kenny argued. “How much do you have to spend.” 

“I’ll tell you when I’m done.” 

“Alright, fair.” 

Tweek followed him around dutifully, and Kenny thought he could honestly get pretty used to having someone to be the basket while he shopped. They finally made it to the coats and jackets, and Kenny spent some time looking between Tweek and then back to the wall as he made his selection. 

“How about...this one?” 

Tweek raised his brows. “Sure?” 

“You have to like it, whatever we pick you have to be comfortable in.” 

“Well...let me try it on, then.” 

It was the most investment that Tweek had shown for the _whole day_. 

Kenny took the other accessories that he’d picked up along the way off Tweek, letting the other boy pick out his size from the rack. He withdrew a dark green bomber jacket, fiddling with the buttons before he was able to pull it on, neglecting to do it up, which suited Kenny fine. 

When Tweek turned round, Kenny felt a smile begin to take over his face. The jacket was absolutely the right pick, what he needed to make the outfit look a little less like normal Tweek and a little more like he’d put that bit of effort in. It was a little short, in a way that Kenny felt like he might prefer, if his concern with jackets were that they were 

“How is it?” Kenny asked. “Is it too thick?” 

“It’s pretty thin, I guess,” Tweek muttered. “It’s _warm_.” 

“That’s the point of a jacket.” 

“I’m gonna be so warm.” 

“That’s why you’ve got a t-shirt on. And you can always take it off if it gets too hot. I’ve seen how big your bag is, and it’d probably fit in your locker.” 

“It might make the walk to work nicer, I guess,” Tweek agreed. “Is this – does it look okay?” 

“It looks great, you look really nice,” Kenny said. “I’m glad we’re picking this one.” 

“Thanks, man.” 

Kenny pulled his eyes away as he turned back to the wall. “If you’re comfortable in that one, we won’t look further then. I don’t wanna blow all your money.” 

Tweek had taken it off once Kenny turned back round, and they headed for the tills. In the queue they made the agreement that they should get something to drink while they were there, and probably a snack, given how late it was getting. Kenny offered to hold the bag as Tweek unceremoniously took off the hoodie and wrapped it round his waist, declaring he was _done_ with being _warm_ now that he wasn’t having to find something to match any more. 

The small shop they picked was Tweek’s choice. It was where Kenny started to get a little lost for words. 

Despite Tweek’s earlier efforts to tell him how he was an introvert, he couldn’t help but feel like there was a difference between sitting in silence on a bus, and sitting in silence across from each other at a table. If Tweek wasn’t an extrovert, could Kenny rely on him to fill the silence? 

He’d always grown up around very talkative people. Kyle could fill a silence with his ramblings, and Stan was relatively good at making conversation, while Cartman was always on some kind of warpath. Even Marjorine had become much chattier. 

The idea of having to carry a conversation with someone he wasn’t used to talking to was a little off putting, if he was honest. 

They stood in the queue for the till, not really speaking much, and Kenny found himself wracking his brain for a conversation starter. 

Maybe... 

“So, you sure had a lot of models at your house,” he inwardly grimaced at his own phrasing, though if it was weird Tweek didn’t seem to react any differently to normal. Which...wasn’t a great indication, actually. “You said you still make them?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I do.” 

“Does it take a long time?” 

“You want to know about my models?” 

Kenny paused, taking a moment to considering the question. He hadn’t been looking for information on them specifically, it just seemed like something to talk about, but... “Yeah, I do. They’re pretty cool, dude.” 

Turned out he really, _really_ didn’t need to worry about whether or not Tweek was talkative. 

He was apparently the kind of guy who could go _off it_ when it was a topic he had something to say on. 

Listening to Tweek talk was...something else. Kenny wasn’t sure he could pinpoint a time where the two of them just sat together and spent prolonged periods of time together with no one else around to help spur the conversation on. It was kind of a little overwhelming. 

But it was definitely entertaining. Tweek was such an expressive person, talking with his hands and pulling faces at all the right parts, eyes wide and moving close to whisper low to get his point across. He spoke with his whole body, unlike Kenny, who was so minimalist in how he expressed himself sometimes. 

It was...really nice. Kind of disarming. 

He didn’t really notice how much he began to talk himself as they were sat down at the table and time passed. Tweek continued to talk to him, asking him questions and drawing words out of him without him really thinking about it. 

For someone who appeared so high energy, he was really low effort. 

Kenny was finishing off his drink, a comfortable silence settled over them, before Tweek spoke with a little more purpose. 

“Thanks for...today.” 

He looked up with a raised brow. 

“I just mean, you didn’t have to go out your way to help me with all this but you did, and I appreciate that, I guess...?” 

“It’s been kind of fun,” Kenny admitted. “We don’t really...hang out that much, do we?” 

Tweek shook his head. 

“I’m glad you came for my help then.” 

“I didn’t come to you for help, you bothered me until I agreed,” Tweek corrected with a glare. “I didn’t have a choice.” 

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to justify it.” 

“Ugh,” Tweek scoffed despite the smile on his face. “I take back my thank you. I’m not thankful at all.” 

“I’m getting the impression that you’re gonna change your mind a lot during this whole thing, so I’ll just take your first answer.” 

“You’re insufferable and I hate it.” 

It was nice to hang out with Tweek and not just talk about his potential date. 

They parted ways on their way home. Kenny didn’t return to Tweek’s to see what the full outfit looked like, but instructed Tweek clearly on what it was he expected the blonde to wear to school the next day. 

Come morning, he could barely contain how excited he was to see Tweek’s new look. He had thought about asking for the boy to send him a photo, but if he was meant to be encouraging Tweek to be more confident, he couldn’t be giving him validation round every corner. Tweek needed to be able to look in the mirror himself and acknowledge if something worked. 

Kenny was confident enough in his abilities to put an outfit together that he would look good anyway. 

He was lingering in the hallway where their year’s lockers were, seeing Craig there already where he usually was. It took a little longer than normal for Tweek to show up, and for a moment, Kenny wasn’t sure if the other blonde hadn’t had second thoughts on his look. It wouldn’t be surprising. 

He heard him before he saw him, calling out to Craig, and Kenny looked up to see the teen running towards the lockers a little out of breath. He had to take a moment to take in the full look and just how different it actually was to see Tweek put in some effort. 

He looked...really good. 

Kenny had been right, when he guessed that the blue would go well with the dark green of the bomber jacket and black jeans, and he was glad to see that Tweek had actually listened to him despite how much he appeared to not want to. All his kicking and screaming was just for show, if his actions were anything to go off. 

Kenny watched as Craig greeted him, pausing as he took in the look, and the blonde tried to be subtle as he watched it happen. 

Tweek shrugged and brushed off whatever Craig said, tugging at the collar of his jacket nervously. A smile spread across Craig’s face, and Kenny _swore_ it looked like he’d complimented Tweek on looking good. 

Then Craig reached out and tugged at the ties of the hoody. Kenny began to snigger at the colour on Tweek’s cheeks. 

Whatever exchange happened had Craig laughing, dropping the ties and gesturing for Tweek to follow him as they made their way through the hallways. It... 

That was definitely a win, right? Definitely. Definitely a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to finish up the next part!


	3. Chapter 3

Tweek’s house was going to become a regular place for them to have their little meetings, at this point. He was there again after school, Tweek having let him in with only a little bit of complaint, which Kenny was counting as a win. Between spending time at the coffee shop picking up hot chocolates on a Saturday and spending time in Tweek’s room, Kenny was becoming much more familiar – more at ease – with Tweek’s mannerisms. 

“I think we’re ready to take the plan to the next step.” 

So far a lot of his guidance had been focused on Tweek himself. Trying to bring the blonde out of his shell. Trying to figure out what he struggles with, work on his self-image, which was a little difficult sometimes when Tweek wasn't overly forthcoming with information. 

But now Tweek would comfortably talk to him about things he did, his hobbies, stuff that he should be proud of. Kenny had been nailing that positive reinforcement bullshit that Stan showed him how to do with Sparky. 

“What’s the next step?” Tweek asked with a furrowed brow. 

“The next step...is the party.” 

“What about it?” 

“It’s going to be your chance to flirt,” Kenny announced. “What better of an excuse than at a party?” 

Tweek’s face began to take on that familiar expression of _disgust_.

“Oh, come on, dude, it’s time.” 

“Does it have to be?” 

“You’re gonna have to eventually, so no point in putting it off any longer. Get some liquid courage in your veins and make your first move.” 

“But I don’t know _how_.” 

“Well, what do you normally do when you’re getting it on with a cute boy?” 

Tweek grimaced and looked down at the floor. 

“Tweek?” Kenny’s smile began to drop as his brain began to search his memory banks for the last person he knew Tweek dated. He was drawing a blank. “When was...your last date?” 

“I-I’ve never dated anyone.” 

“You’re _kidding_?” 

“I thought we’d established that I’ve had a very secret, very _long term_ crush already?! Why would I want to date someone when I’m – I’m-?!” 

“Head over heels for your best friend?” 

Tweek glowered. 

“Have you ever flirted with anyone?” 

“Not...really? No?” 

“Ever even _kissed_ anyone?” 

Tweek grimaced. “Don’t make a big deal about it!” 

“How can I not?! How have you avoided kissing games at parties?” 

“People don’t ask me to join them, so I never have to worry about it.” 

There was something kind of sad in that. Not in the way that Tweek said it; he sounded somewhat relieved. But sad in the fact that no one asked, because why _wouldn’t_ they ask? Tweek was a catch! Yeah he was kind of a freak and had little tics that may have calmed down with time but were still there, but who in this town wasn’t a freak? 

“Why are you looking at me like that?!” 

“I just – I’m surprised. I would’ve asked you if I knew you weren’t getting invited.” 

“Ugh, don’t, Clyde threatened it before. He nearly did.” 

“Nearly?” 

A small smile that graced the corners of Tweek’s lips. His _Craig smile_. “Craig threatened to punch him in the face if he tried it.” 

“That’s good!” 

“What?” 

“That he didn’t want you joining in,” Kenny pointed out. “It’s possessiveness. Maybe he didn’t want anyone else to get the chance.” 

“Not even himself?” 

“Stop focusing on the bad things, what did I say about positive thinking?” 

Tweek rolled his eyes. 

“You’re gonna join in the next time we play spin the bottle. Or, seven minutes in heaven, or whatever it ends up being.” 

“Absolutely _not_.” 

“Why not?!” 

“What if I don’t get him?! What if I get – I dunno – _Cartman_ instead?!” 

Kenny mimicked the dramatic eye-roll. “It’s a game of chance. Besides, someone else has its merits too. It’ll make him jelly.” 

“This seems a bit…risky.” 

“No one in our class has herpes, what are you afraid of?” 

“Losing my first kiss to Cartman?” Tweek spat back. “Getting Craig and then being bad at it?!” 

“Well, then, kiss someone beforehand!” 

“What?!” 

“Y’know, like practice.” 

“Who’s gonna practice with me?!” 

The words were out his mouth before he could stop them: “I would.” 

The room fell into silence. Still. Frozen. And then the panic set in. 

“I mean, I said I’d help you, right? So, I’ll help you! Whatever it takes!” 

“You – you wouldn’t mind?” 

“Mind what?” 

“Kissing me?” 

The timid, self-conscious way Tweek looked down as he spoke had Kenny’s heart breaking and thumping at the same time. 

“Why not, dude?” Kenny asked as he tried to play it off. “I’d do _anything_ for a hot chocolate every Saturday evening.” 

Tweek snorted, smirk on his face as he shot Kenny a disbelieving look. “Of course, _anything_ for a hot chocolate.” 

“So...do you want to?” 

Silence fell over them while he waited for Tweek’s answer. He tried not to look too hopeful – because he _liked_ kissing people, so of course he didn’t mind, and Tweek was pretty cool. He’d kiss most of his friends if given the chance, because he just liked to feel close to people. It was just a way to feel close to people. 

Tweek nodded once before admitting, “I don’t really know where to start, though.” 

“That’s fine, you just sit there all pretty, and I’ll do the rest.” 

They sat on his bed cross legged, facing each other, and Tweek’s hazel eyes never left his face. They followed him as Kenny shifted into place, settling down before looking up directly into Tweek’s eyes. 

“Shut your eyes,” Kenny instructed, not liking the unsettled feeling in his stomach that they gave. Tweek’s eyes always looked like the _saw you_. 

They narrowed, fluttering shut and open again for a brief moment, before Tweek finally relented and shut them. 

Kenny sucked in a breath as he leant forward, raising his hands to brush his knuckles against Tweek’s jaw. The blonde jumped at the contact, but didn’t open his eyes. Kenny shut his own as he got close enough. 

Their lips pressed together. He counted to three, revelling in the brief contact, then pulled back. 

Tweek’s eyes fluttered open while he was still there, so close, half lidded as they focused in on Kenny’s lips. Kenny, who took the chance to study every small fleck of colour that decorated his irises. 

Then he pulled back. 

Tweek’s face was, for once, impressively impassive. 

“See?” Kenny prompted as he attempted to get Tweek to react. “You kissed someone. That’s really all there is to it.” 

“No.” 

Kenny raised his brows. 

“No, it’s-!” Tweek huffed out. “If we end up playing that one – the one where they put you in the closet, right? That’s, like, ten minutes!” 

“Seven minutes.” 

“Seven minutes!” Tweek repeated. “I have to be able to make that impressive in seven minutes?!” 

“Alright, alright. I’ll put a timer on then, for seven minutes, and you can have your practice.” 

Tweek seemed satisfied with that. 

Kenny opened a countdown on his phone, placing it to the left of them with an alarm to go off once seven minutes was up. He settled down in front of Tweek once he’d pressed go and expected to have to take the initiative again. 

Tweek surprised him. 

His eyes widened slightly as he found Tweek already inches away from him, hazel eyes disappearing behind blonde lashes as Tweek shut his eyes. Kenny felt like time passed in slow motion as two pale hands reached out towards him. 

This time? The kiss was different. 

Tweek copied his action before of brushing his knuckles against Kenny’s face, before his fingers spread wide and fanned out across Kenny’s neck. Kenny felt his hand react on impulse alone as it reached out to press against the other boy’s chest as if to encourage him to _slow down, no need to rush_ , but... 

When Tweek’s lips were on his, it wasn’t _too much_. His hand settled on the green sweater, and he wondered if it had been the sign that Tweek didn’t need to go so ham, because the kiss was slow. A press of lips, just like before, until Kenny couldn’t stop himself moving. 

His hand clenched into a fist, bundling fabric against his palm. 

Tweek mimicked his actions, fingers giving the slightest twitches against Kenny’s neck. What did surprise Kenny was when he felt Tweek’s mouth open, just the slightest bit, like he wanted to go further but didn’t quite know how. 

Before Kenny could think to react, Tweek was already figuring it out. He felt the slightest brush of a tongue against his lower lip, so brief it almost wasn’t there, but there was no mistaking it. Kenny knew what that was. He chased the feeling. 

When their tongues met he let out a fluttering sigh and his free hand found Tweek’s knee, thumb tracing patterns against his jeans as the kiss continued. The fingers against his neck tightened, pulling him even closer. He didn’t dare let go of Tweek’s sweater in case he pulled away. 

It was different, because Kenny found himself drowning in it, forgetting not to push too far. He treated it as though he wasn’t trying to ease Tweek into it. Just... 

_Enjoyed himself._

Eventually, there was a beep to his left; a sign that their time was up. A reminder of exactly where he was. 

He pulled back enough to put two inches of distance between their noses. 

He let a satisfied sigh out as the beep from his phone echoed, though he made no move to turn it off. Instead he stared into the eyes opposite him, one hand still clutching the green sweater in his fist, the other settled on grey jeans. Tweek looked a little short on breath. 

“You can breathe through your nose,” Kenny murmured as a smirk formed on his face. 

“Right,” Tweek nodded, tongue darting across his lips. “Okay.” 

They stayed like that for a few moments longer. 

“Any other advice?” 

Kenny pulled back, letting go of the sweater and dragging his hand from thigh to knee. “Yeah, don’t be so nervous. You’re better at it than you think.” 

Tweek smiled up at him as he pulled his hands back. “Thanks, Kenny.” 

"Well, if that’s all you were concerned about...” Kenny began to push himself backwards, putting a bit of space between them as he turned off his alarm. “Then I guess my job here is done!” 

“I guess so.” 

“I should probably not hang out too long. I don’t wanna...” 

Bother him? Eat into his time? Be here when his parents returned? 

“I don’t mind,” Tweek muttered, ruffling his hair as he looked at the ground. “You can hang out, if you want. Not that you have to! You don’t have to, you can go, I’m not like – trying to make you stay or anything if you were looking for a reason to leave you can I-?!” 

“I can hang out.” 

So, he did. They ended up taking out one of the miniatures that Tweek had been saving, Tweek talking him through the process as they started to put it together. They were still there when Tweek’s parents returned home, and the sound of Tweek’s door opening caused them both to jump, too busy being absorbed in each other to really notice anyone else entering the house. 

Kenny decided not to stay, opting to take it as his cue to leave. Tweek seemed grateful at least, seeing him to the door and muttering another thank you as he left the house. 

He promised to see Kenny at the next party, and promised to take part in one of their dumb games if he was asked. It was all he could ask for, really. 

\--

Red’s house was always a _joy_ to hang out in, with her dad working late at the bar and her mother so often going to drink there with her friends since Red became ‘old enough to look after herself’. She ruled her parties with an iron fist, in a way that left Kenny on more than one occasion requesting to see what the best form of punishment she could give him was. 

If she knew he was flirting, she sure didn’t fucking show it, considering he ended up discovering that she had a lot of muscle under those dark shirts and could quite easily kick him out her house. 

He arrived with Stan, Kyle, and Cartman, the four of them there together for the first half an hour. Once Marjorine came they only lasted as a group for a fraction of a time longer. For once, it wasn’t anyone’s fault but Bebe’s. 

She tapped him on the shoulder, smokey eyes fluttering once she had his attention. “Hey, Kenny, we’re thinking of playing a game. Do you wanna join us?” 

“What game?” 

“I’m not sure, we haven’t decided. Clyde suggested spin the bottle, but he _always does_ ,” she rolled her eyes. “And then gets all weird when he has to kiss a boy.” 

He laughed at the idea of Clyde begging Bebe to set up a game for him to play. “Maybe you should do him the luxury of only getting girls to play this time, then?” 

“Oh, boo, if he’s allowed to have fun, so am I. And Red said she would only play if I did get more boys, because she loves the way he squirms about it.” 

“She’s a fucking psycho.” 

“Whatever,” Bebe raised her brows. “Are you playing or what? You can bring Kyle with you...” 

Kyle, who had been only half listening, spun round with a disapproving face. “No.” 

“Nerd.” 

“I’ll take nerd over whatever you two are planning.” 

“You don’t even know!” 

“I don’t want to know,” chocolate eyes turned to Kenny. “Do I want to know?” 

“Maybe you should agree and then I’ll tell you.” 

“See, that? That sets off my alarm bells something fierce. Hard pass on whatever it is.” 

Bebe turned back to Kenny. “Are you joining him in the nerd corner, then?” 

He let out a far too dramatic sigh. “Fine, fine, you’ve twisted my arm. How many more people do you need to get?” 

At least by taking part, he could hopefully gear her towards pressuring a certain someone into joining. 

He abandoned his friends and followed Bebe instead, accompanying her in finding participants, a small circle starting in the corner of the room. Just as she decided that she’d asked everyone who she liked the look of, he stopped her, gesturing to a couple by the stairs. 

“How about those two?” 

Bebe tilted her head at the suggestion. “I mean, I would, but Craig shoots me down every time I ask, and I don’t want to set off Tweek’s anxiety or anything.” 

“No, but can you imagine Clyde’s face if he had to mack on with _Craig_?” Kenny leered with a smirk. 

It was the only incentive she needed. She beelined straight for the pair, bounce in her step that he struggled to keep up with before she came to a halt in front of the pair with a shining smile and those doe brown eyes that could melt hearts. 

“Guys, please, you _have_ to join our game.” 

All hearts except for Craig Tucker’s, apparently, as he sneered at the request and looked down at her. “What the fuck, Bebe?” 

“Our game, please! It’ll really upset Clyde and that would be so funny! C’mon, Tucker, don’t you know how to live?” 

“Not like you,” there was a fondness in the way he rolled his eyes. “What game, then?” 

Kenny’s eyes fell to Tweek, watching the way his hazel eyes flickered from Kenny to Bebe, biting down on his lower lip as the exchange took place. 

“Spin the bottle!” 

Tweek visible steeled himself at Bebe’s words. 

Craig pulled that same sneering face. “Seriously? What are you, twelve?” 

“No, Craig, I’m sixteen, and I want to play some risqué games with my friends, now are you in or what?” 

Kenny raised his brows as Tweek met his eyes, smile creeping onto his face while Bebe and Craig continued to bicker. The other blonde scrunched his face up a little, glancing down at the ground with a flush in his cheeks, before snapping up to look his fate dead on. 

“I’ll play.” 

Bebe _squealed_. “Oh my god, really? You never play these games with me!” 

“First time for everything, right?” 

“See, Craig? Some of us know how to have fun,” she mocked as she took Tweek’s hand. “C’mon, Kenny’s playing too, aren’t you, Ken?” 

He rolled his eyes like it was some great chore. “You already convinced me, Bebe.” 

“Well, Tucker?” she turned to him with a smug smirk. “Are we just going to ditch you to be a loner loser in the corner, or are you playing?” 

Craig scowled down at Tweek. “Are you sure you wanna play?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” 

“Well...alright,” Craig agreed. “We can play.” 

Kenny smirked at the boy’s word choice. Like it was a given that if Tweek was playing that meant they _both_ were. 

Bebe dragged them all over to her little circle of acquired minions, placing them down in a row. Kenny wondered if maybe he hadn’t insisted she sat between Tweek and Craig, but didn’t want to draw attention. Instead Tweek was sat between him and Craig. 

“We all know how this goes,” Bebe announced as she gestured for Clyde to finish what was in his bottle so she could take it. “I’ll go first, seeing as it was my idea. Any complaints?” 

“Many.” 

“Screw you, Craig,” she placed the bottle down with a flourish before she revved herself up. “Here goes!” 

Tweek remained safe for quite some time. Kenny wasn’t quite so lucky, or unlucky, depending on your view. One raspberry on the cheek from Clyde and a delicate smooch from Annie promised that at least the tension in the circle was low, leaving Tweek a little looser next to him, despite the way his knee bounced any time a kiss was a little _less_ playful. 

Kenny watched the game continue, wondering whether or not Tweek would have to suffer through anything. Even if he didn’t, Kenny still counted it a small win, just from how Craig had reacted to Tweek agreeing to join the game in the first place. 

Annie whined as she was up for the third time, claiming that the bottle was rigged as she was kissed on the cheek by Red, despite her laughter at the force of the kiss that left behind a lipstick mark. She stretched out and took the bottle, picking it up to spin. 

_Finally._

_Finally_ something landed on Tweek. 

He met Annie half way across the circle, who landed a kiss square on his lips, brief and chaste just like the one she’d gifted Kenny. It didn’t surprise him, and he honestly liked seeing how all these people expressed themselves during the game. 

He held his breath as Tweek took the bottle, twisted, and let go. 

It spun round for some time with the force that Tweek had put into it. Trust Tweek to strum his nervous energy into the action, leaving him probably all the more nervous by the time it took to spin round. 

Yet as it began to slow down, he wondered if it had been calculated. 

He felt his hopes begin to rise as the bottle slowed down, promising to land near Tweek again. Maybe it was chance, or maybe Tweek had intentionally done it, because it was going to... 

It was going to... 

It passed Craig, only _just_ , and instead landed on Tweek’s other side. 

Kenny hadn’t really banked on this. It was a game of chance, and the chance of it landing on him was pretty low. But it had, and he could see how nervous Tweek was next to him. 

He cursed Bebe for dragging him into it. 

“Alright then, boys!” she called with a clap of her hands. “Give us a show!” 

Tweek turned to him with determination set in his features, despite the quiver of his lip, and Kenny wasn’t sure how to take it. 

He wasn’t sure how to take it when Tweek raised a hand to cup his cheek, angling his head. Wasn’t sure how to take it when the other blonde started to lean in, hazel eyes slipping shut in a way so reminiscent of the first time. 

He wondered if Craig was watching. 

It was what spurred him on. Like he’d said to Tweek; even if he didn’t get Craig, he could still make him jealous. So Kenny didn’t hold back. 

He met Tweek’s lips and raised a hand to grip his elbow, encouraging Tweek’s hand beyond his cheek, towards his hair. It can’t have lasted many seconds, they barely moved their lips together, but there was something in the way that Tweek’s hands threaded through his hair and gave an impulsive _tug_ that had Kenny wishing it did last longer. 

It was Bebe’s whistling that had them pulling apart, eyes locking for the briefest moment. His lips twitched with a smile he tried badly to suppress. 

Tweek caught it, scoffing and withdrawing his hand only to curl it into a fist to land into Kenny’s arm. 

“Alright, Kenny! Your go!” 

He brushed it off quickly enough as he reached out for the bottle and began to spin it. It hadn’t even stopped before there was a loud noise from the kitchen that drew his attention. 

He caught sight of Lola and Heidi rushing out, the former laughing wildly as the latter had a hand covering her mouth looking a little grossed out. Lola caught his gaze, gesturing over her shoulder towards the kitchen. 

“They’re gonna need you, Kenny!” 

“What happened?” 

“Stan happened!” 

“Ah, shit,” Kenny swore, looking down to see the bottle come to a stop, landing on the blonde bombshell that had hosted the game, who was glaring at him from across the circle. 

He stood, walking across the bottle and dipping down just long enough to give her a peck on the lips. “Sorry, Bebe, duty calls.” 

“This is _such_ a cop out.” 

He laughed as he began his walk to the kitchen. 

“Wait!” 

He looked over his shoulder to see Tweek racing after him. “Dude, you should-?” 

“I’ll help,” Tweek offered. “Stan’s puked, right?” 

“Probably. He hasn’t got the strongest stomach.” 

The pair entered the kitchen to see Stan there, looking worse for wear, with his girlfriend by his side. Marjorine was frazzled, glass of water in her hands with vomit splattered on the edge of her skirt, the majority having hit the floor. 

She looked up with those round, blue eyes, pinkness in her cheeks and nothing other than a helpless noise escaping her lips as she tried to find words. 

“No worries, Marjorine, clean-up crew has arrived,” he announced, and gave a breathy laugh as her shoulders sagged forward and a grateful smile passed across her face. “I just need – where do the Valmers keep their cleaning shit?” 

“In here.” 

The three of them turned at the sound of another voice. Kenny couldn’t stop the surprise showing on his face to see Craig Tucker having joined them, opening a small cupboard next to the fridge, withdrawing a mop and bucket. 

“They keep floor cleaner under the sink, I think.” 

“Thanks, dude,” Kenny said, brushing off his surprise. 

Tweek stepped forward with a frown. “Weren’t you playing the game?” 

“Dude,” Craig scrunched his nose up as he addressed his friend. “I was only there because you were, I’m not sticking around if you’ve left.” 

Kenny turned away as a smug smile tugged at the corners of his lips, focusing instead on putting some floor cleaner in the bucket before filling it with water. 

“C’mon, help me get him to the bathroom. Kenny can clean up the floor.” 

He turned to see Tweek and Craig each pulling an arm over their shoulders as they coaxed Stan into a standing position, before slowly navigating around the vomit on the floor. Marjorine looked frazzled as she watched them escort her man towards the living room, and Kenny nudged her as he passed. 

“Go on, go help them. I doubt Craig’s gonna want to clean Stan up. He’s probably just gonna dump him in the tub.” 

Craig glanced over at them with a smirk. “How did you guess?” 

Marjorine turned to Kenny. “Are you sure you don’t mind cleaning up this all by your lonesome?” 

“I’m sure, don’t worry about it.” 

“Well, alrighty then. Thanks a bunch for your help, Kenny.” 

“Go on, they’re leaving without you.” 

She scarpered after them, only wobbling a little bit as she left the room. 

By the time Kyle arrived, Kenny had nearly finished cleaning the floor, and the redhead looked suitably apologetic about having missed helping Kenny clean up after his best friend. Instead, he got Kenny a drink and emptied the bucket into the garden before he put it away, and the two waited for some sign that Stan hadn’t actually been left in the bathtub. 

It came in the form of Craig and Tweek descending the stairs, laughing between themselves, and Kyle approached them with furrowed brows. 

“Is he alright?” 

“He’s not dead?” Craig offered. 

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Great, thanks.” 

“Marjorine’s still up there, if you wanna go help her?” 

“He probably needs taking home,” Tweek advised. 

“We can do that,” Kyle decided as he turned to Kenny for confirmation. 

Kenny shrugged. 

“Yeah, thanks for your help, guys.” 

As Kyle passed them, and Craig moved further down the stairs to the main room, Tweek stopped to look at Kenny. 

Kenny who smirked and pushed him after Craig. “Go on.” 

“Are you gonna be-?” 

“Dude, you act like I’ve never had to clean up Stan’s mess before.” 

Tweek chuckled. “I guess.” 

“He’s looking at you.” 

Tweek spun round quickly, to see Craig standing a few feet ahead of them, looking at them. Waiting. 

“Later, Tweek.” 

Kenny was already running up the stairs after Kyle. 

Marjorine was still in the bathroom, drunk Stan sat on the toilet-seat lid as she forced water down his throat. She looked ready to cry with relief once Kyle and Kenny stepped into the room. 

Between the three of them they got Stan back to Kyle’s house where he was meant to be staying the night before going back to the farm the next day. Marjorine cooed as she settled him down onto Kyle’s bed, before thanking Kenny and Kyle profusely for their help. Kyle saw them to the front door, instructing them to stay quiet so not to disturb his parents. 

Marjorine didn’t linger. She knew she had to get home as soon as possible for her parents, and disappeared up the street with little fanfare. Kenny turned to say goodbye to his friend, only to see Kyle had fixed him with a _look._

It meant he had something to say. Kenny braced himself for whatever it was. 

“I heard you and Tweek were playing spin the bottle.” 

“How?” Kenny asked, narrowing his eyes at the redhead. “It - it literally happened like an hour ago.” 

“Probably less than that,” Kyle offered. “But that’s small-town gossip for you. So, you were?” 

“Yeah, did you know he’d never played spin the bottle before? Crazy. How do you get out of that game?” 

“It’s pretty easy.” 

Kenny went to ask if that meant Kyle had never played, but Kyle held up his hand. 

“No, I don’t want to, either.” 

“Well, Tweek and I played. Craig was there too.” 

Kyle gave a quiet hum. 

“What?” 

“I just – want you to be careful,” Kyle advised. “You have a tendency to get attached to people you shouldn’t.” 

“Like who?” 

“If it wasn’t for you, I’d never have to spend any time with Cartman, and I hate you for it.” 

Kenny rolled his eyes. 

“And that Mercades chick? You were infatuated.” 

“She’s got a nice ass, what can I say?” 

“My point still stands.” 

“Well, thanks for your concern, but I’ll be fine,” Kenny assured as he took a few steps back. “But I think your best friend needs your concern more than me right now.” 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t remind me,” Kyle grimaced. “He’s going to be such a fucking pain in the morning.” 

Kenny laughed, raising a hand in a casual goodbye before he skipped down the path, hearing the door close behind him. 

Kyle didn’t know what he was talking about. He didn’t understand these complex human emotions like Kenny did, and yeah, maybe he would get attached to Tweek, but he was attached to _all_ of his friends. It wasn’t any different from that. 


End file.
